Updated: Fri Nov. 27 2009 10:42:38 PM

CTV.ca News Staff

Canada should act fast to create an "ambitious" target to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, the head of the United Nations said Friday.

Ban Ki-Moon told reporters gathered at the Commonwealth leaders' summit in Trinidad and Tobago that Ottawa should be setting an example on the world stage ahead of the G8 and G20 meetings to be held in Canada.

"Many countries, developed and developing countries, have come out with ambitious targets," Ban said.

"Therefore, it is only natural that Canada should come out with ambitious mid-term targets as soon as possible."

Canada has become the target of international criticism for reneging on its Kyoto commitments, and for refusing to sign a new agreement unless it includes commitments for developing nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The comments from the U.N.'s secretary-general came as both France and Britain said they would support a global fund for poor countries to battle climate change.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was speaking at a Commonwealth meeting, says that the fund should equal about US$10 billion annually for the next three years.

"We can no longer afford to be unambitious," Sarkozy said. "What is at stake here is the future of our planet."

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that his nation would kick in about $1.3 billion over the next three years to get the "Copenhagen launch fund" off the ground.

The issue of the warming of the planet will continue to dominate the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government, as leaders discuss the issue one last time before the much larger global summit on the issue in Copenhagen in 10 days.

Brown has said he hopes the group of diverse nations will be able to agree on a strong statement that warns of the many perils of letting climate change go unchecked.

"A strong message from the Commonwealth on the dangers of climate change can create the momentum needed for a global response at Copenhagen next month," Brown told Trinidad's Express newspaper.

However, Peter Kent, minister of state for foreign affairs, told reporters that "a deal in Copenhagen is a long shot."

Earlier in the day, the Queen urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other leaders from the 53-member body to regain the Commonwealth's relevance by leading the battle against climate change.

She noted that many of the people most affected by changing global temperatures live in Commonwealth nations, and they are also those least able to withstand the changes.

While the influence of the 53-nation group of mostly former British colonies has been largely eclipsed by the Group of Eight and G20, it appears some leaders think it can still influence the global debate on climate change.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning welcomed the attention and vowed to make progress on the issue.

"What we can do is to raise our voices politically," he said ahead of the talks. "We feel we can have some effect in influencing the discussions in Denmark."

It's expected that Canada will face ongoing criticism at the meeting for not doing enough to stop global warming -- mostly from smaller island nations who fear rising sea levels in coming decades could swamp or even wipe their countries off the map as the planet warms.

After the three-day Trinidad talks, Harper will be attending the Copenhagen summit, a decision his office announced late Thursday.

Harper, who has downplayed the possibility that any major deal on climate change will come from the Copenhagen talks, had initially said he would not be attending. He had designated Environment Minister Jim Prentice to head the Canadian delegation instead.

But when U.S. President Barack Obama announced Wednesday he would attend the climate change meeting, Harper appeared to change his mind.

The Copenhagen conference runs from Dec. 7 to 18. Obama will attend the third day; it's not clear when Harper will attend.

Pressure will be on world leaders in the Danish capital to piece together a new climate-change agreement, since the Kyoto Protocol is due to expire in 2012.

That position has dimmed hopes that developed and developing countries will be able to achieve consensus in Copenhagen.

With files from The Canadian Press

Comments are now closed for this story

Warren in toon town
Sea levels swamping smaller countries as the earth warms, give me a break.

Wade Ens
Climate change is kind of like Santa Claus. It is a collective story told by many and we have some phonies at the mall dressed in red, but Santa is not really alive.

j greenaway
Is any news org. in Canada reporting on the emails that were hacked in England

Adele Hay
The so called science now appears to be results that were manipulated and exagerated. Based on this we know climate change is just another fairy tale. The real question is how many climate fraud deniers are still out there??

Smitherenzes
I hope they discuss the CRU emails that show a conspiracy to deceive and cover up the real "global warming" data. I'm sure someone will bring it up, though they won't have gotten their information from CTV or the rest of the MSM.

Wendy
Once again Harper is making Canadians look like a bunch of hillbillies. How embarrassing.

Adam Lambert
Climate change is real the conservative need to realize that the Liberals have the change facts and the torture facts from Alex Neve at Amnesty International and the BC Civil Liberties organization that is credible it use to receive a lot of money under the court challenges program. I am just so embarassed by Canada they are neanderthal on gay marriage, climate change and credible liberal organizations that have proof our soldiers willing knowingly and repeatedly handed people over for torture, each prisioner thousands were tortured daily they probably went around and did it for 10 minutes on each prisoner. Now the conservatives are still refusing a carbon tax to shift money into new social programs that can only be done with higher taxes. A NDP Liberal Block coalition is the only way to get higher taxes to pay people to work on green stuff that is not economically viable. We have 330 carbon parts per billion in our atmosphere and we need to get it down to oh say 328.

Bill in BC
I truly would prefer to think that a group of scientists would not perpetrate such a blatant fraud but reality indicates otherwise. When will we see a full investigation of this issue, not only of the hacking of the email server but also of the conspiracy to push this agenda on the world? This is not limited to the CRU and we should have an investigation in Canada, and every country, into who was involved. I think (hope) that no Canadians were involved in criminal science fraud, only that they were legitimately mistaken. But investigation is neccessary.

Tony : ex Liberal now independent
Good thing we have a governement that cares more about people and Canada than photo ops like the last government that signed kyoto for the photo op then had the dirtiest record. But liberals are only open to ideas from liberals no wonder so many of them call themselves independents now like myself.

Kitty Sui Vancouver
Gee I thought the green machine told us 4 yrs ago we had to act now or it would be too late the world would be flooded mass starvation etc did that happen?

TVic
Well, I hope that the PM opens his ears and listens to the other leaders. Climate change will affect those island states drastically. And that he goes to Copenhagen with a strong commitment to action. But from what we've seen so far in this country, he is not predisposed to change his mind - even when he is wrong. So I guess he is there for the photo op and a little R&R in the warm sun. Don't forget to don your sunscreen Stevie.

willienilly
Harper and Obama are going to do some damage control.

Chris
I really hope that Harper will not sign that crap. I don't know why the libs are not understanding thatthe data have been tricked to make money. Now those scamer are scared to ose thir way of living. They will not make as much money now. This is libs conspiracy that all libs al over the world are doing. Just to make money of it. It is smater than the mafia.Harper is aware of that scam. He does not want to ruin his country and he is right.I'm sad that Caadians are not more educated about it. Do some research and you will see that their is not risen water anywhere. The NASA web site will give you a lot of evidences.Don't be fool!

david sawkiw[saskatchewan farmer]
So,, some tropical islands are going to be inundated with flood waters???What a pity.I guess Harper could make some REAL points internationally by donating a couple near-desolate islands just off our coast,,, Ellesmere and Baffin.Granted, they are now somewhat inhospitable,, but hey, all the smart people are saying that's going to change,, I can't wait to open up that box of pinapples that says "product of Ellesmere"......

J
I like how "Adam Lambert" has no idea what he is talking about, and his writing proves it.

JB in Calgary
@ Those who think Global Warming is a joke. You want a full report? Pick up a book, hopefully one that says "Chemistry" on the front and read it. Here are the facts. CO2 levels are rising. CO2 absorbs IR radiation from the sun. When a compound absorbs IR radiation it warms up (just like if you put your hands over a stove, IR radiation). If CO2 was not in the way, the IR would go back into space, but it is in the way and in the atmosphere hence, the atmosphere warms up. There is your full report. Remember the frying pan and the egg? This is your brain (egg) this is your brain on drugs (egg cooking in the frying pan)? Well now the atmosphere is the egg, and the egg in the frying pan is your atmosphere on CO2. Do the Math. A child can understand this hopefully all of you can now too. Any Questions???

Jon in London ON
@ JB in Calgary:Problem in your argument:Carbon dioxide is already doing almost all the warming it can. Because it only creates heat from the light bandwidth it likes, adding twice the CO2 doesn't make twice the difference. We would need MORE light from the sun!Carbon levels have been ten TIMES higher in the past and yet we slipped into an ice-age. Carbon is a bit player in climate change.

annie
As MR Harper knows, recent polls show Canadians have little interest in global warming. If Canadians did, the leftparties would be forcing an election yesterday.Any wonder why the liberals are so low? Tax, tax, tax, and raise the price of everything.I hope Harper can talk some sense into the others, or I fear Canada will have to put up a token climate plan and head i to prosperity alone.

Dave, Ottawa
JB - you are quite correct. In a controlled lab experiment, CO2 does behave this way. However, in the real world, on a planetary scale, with an infinite number of other variables, it is a different story. That is what the real data is now showing us - that global temperature changes do not fit what the computer models predict. As well, the CO2 affect is logarithmic, not exponential. That means that the greatest impact of CO2 increase, per unit, was seen when CO2 levels very first started to rise.

allan
Some members talked about kicking Canada out of the commonwealth--good, let it happen.The name itself tells you what it is about---COMMON--WEALTH. Meaning of course that Canada will give our money to other countries who cannot ,or in most cases will not, work to develop their own countries

JR. Edmonton
Climate change is a non issue. It has been since the beginning of time. I cannot believe we are still waisting money trying to defend this global lie. The world has already been taken for trillions of dollars. It must stop!Besides, to think that man, mere spec in the greater scheme of things, can change climate! Bullocks!! I'm glad our PM will steer well clear of this stupidity. And now that the cat is out of the bag I hope that the media will turn the screws on these enviromental circus clowns!!

simon
Let us Hope that Harper will be on time for the PHOTO OPS this time!!! Don't want to see Canada blushing again.

myles NWO
people need to get a grip the earth changes naturally and it doesnt matter what we do, we cant stop it like saskatchewan used to be under water, the earth changes naturally so like i said its taken far outta proportion, and china and india are much harder on the envirnment then we are

reece
I do have my doubts about the earth warming theory and it comes from the Piri Reis map - which mapped Antarctica HUNDREDS of years ago. Apparently this continent was free of ice way back then. This suggests to me the planet goes through cycles. Anyway, we have way too many people on this planet and more and more people are starving to death with more and more commercials asking for donations to feed the ever growing number of starving babies. Technology and new medicines insure that these people continue to grow in numbers and out number the lands ability to feed them. Now China is going to do away with the 1-child policy since their population is aging...they need more babies. India needs more babies. All those babies are gonna need to drive polluting cars. The truth is capitalism, as good as it's been to me, needs to be tamed in some new way....

Doug @ BC
So what is the actaul aim of Liberal policy on this issue? Is the goal to lower gloablwe greenhouse gases,or impose more taxes on Canadians? From what's happened so far,I suggwest it's the tax grab they want as lot more than a real environmental plan. Now,their beloved and deified Presisent Obama has set USA targts at almost exactly the same levels as Harper has set for Canada.It looks to me that Harper and Obama are a lot closer to takiong the right approach on this than the green freaks want to admit.No one can deny the reality,that,without the participation af ALL of the biggest emmitters,nothing done in Canada will do anything other than make us all a lot poorer,just so the green movement can claim the moral high ground. On the other hand,if Harper and Obama can stand together,and get a reluctanct China and India to agree that ALL nations must participate in resolving the perceived problem,they will be the ones who actually did something about real climate issues.Those who jumped in early on the tranfer of wealth idea,will be left with egg on their faces. It's "leadership".That's never accomplished by doing what everyone else wants you to do,or as Dion and the Liberals did,go to Kyoto and let the EU and a band of undeveloped nations dictate to you. Canada can best help these island nations,not by reducing our pathetically small contribution to global greenhouse gases,but by dragging the really big emitters into an agreement to lower emissions everywhere.Hate Harper if it makes you feel better,but if he is successful,he will be seen as the real leader.The one who made a difference to emissions,as opposed as a different way of sending more money abroad.

charlie
China and the US making pronouncements on how much they want to reduce their carbon outputs - sound impressive - and that's all they may be in the fianl analysis - fine sounding and lofty goals which may never be realized and which will be sacrificed at the first need in their own national interssts. The pronouncements are always to be realized at some time down the road - they take the present heat off, and cater to the environmental base. How any country can go down this road, in the absence of scientific proof, as opposed to firmly held and professed theory, is ludicrous. The recently hacked emails (which the media seems loathe to explore) have introduced a serious element of doubt into the accuracy of the previous data and the motivations of those advancing it. Curiously, nobody involved is denying that the data was hacked or that it existed. They say it is "mis-interpreted". Now may be the best time for an independent analysis of all the data - and the associated exchange of emails - to get to the bottom of all this. Scientists can be just as falible and base as any other group and spending trillions of dollars out of mainly western taxpayers' pockets, on a possible error - without absolute proof as opposed to loudly expressed positions - is inexcuseable. The "believers" cannot allow any erosion of their positions as they have committed to a position from which they cannot retreat. We once believed the sun revolved around the earth - that was a "fact". Surprise! Time for a serious investigation.

reece
@Annie: SAID: "Any wonder why the liberals are so low? Tax, tax, tax, and raise the price of everything." - you do realize that the GST is a tax that the conservatives created? You do know that the HST is a conservative invention? You do know that Americas Ronald Reagan (a conservative) was the president that raised the taxes in the USA to record highs? I don't know where you get this notion that liberals are so tax happy. More research may turn you into a liberal...if not, you must enjoy being taxed to death. And I haven't even mentioned how it's notable that every conservative gov't runs deficits after the likes of Chretien and Clinton leaves a massive surplus behind while exiting office.

david sawkiw[saskatchewan farmer]
@JB from calgary::: Your hypothesis on the gas co2 definately has merit..I truly believe the bigger culprit though is the gas Metane..It is not only suspected of changing the climate,, but breathing it in the absence of sunlight can have severe consequences on rational thought processes..............

Jack, Hamilton
How is Canada gonna meet any kind of emissions target if we keep increasing our population artificially thru mass immigration? Without immigration, Canada's population would be stable. Instead, we seem to want more stress on our infrastructure, more cars on the road, more urban sprawl to destroy forests and farm land, more energy use. So where are the Greens on this? Have they not thought about this question?

~ldd
The jig is up now, AGW is beyond doubt a grand political scam. Paid for by us suckers, fed to us by MSM, given the uproar in the Australian political arena, can't see how the media can still keep it's head in the sand about this huge fact of this perpetuated lie.This *news* broke late last week on the blogs, But by the weekend the CDN Media only featured the UN declaring "one world order" governed by them of course, the biggest pushers of this AGW scam...the jig is up in a few ways then? Biggest scam of the century and the CDN Media can't even touch it. heh.How many billions wasted on this crap thus far?79-80 Billion?

Jon in London ON
The Cap-and-Trade Carbon Scheme.To impose regulation of carbon dioxide and reduce CO2 emissions by an astonishing 80 percent by 2050. Unlike a direct tax on carbon, which would be transparent and allow for businesses and citizens to plan their budgets accordingly, a cap-and-trade scheme is not transparent. It would create a giant slush fund for government bureaucrats while doing little or nothing to improve the environment.A scheme that is a bad solution to a problem that is gone, fighting a cause that never was...

JB in Calgary
@ Dave This does not only apply to a controlled experiment. If you have ever run an IR spectrometer you would know that you have Baseline the machine before you can do an accurate experiment on another compound. If you don’t baseline the machine the spectrum is filled with IR active gases, most being CO2. In regards to “More light” you are wrong. There is more than enough light from the sun. Look into the Earth’s Albedo. In regards to the Computer models: we don't know what the sink is for 25% of the CO2 in the atmosphere, so we can't enter the proper information to get an accurate model.

JB in Calgary
@ Jon Please refer to the comment to Dave. And look into the Earth's Albedo.

CO2 Methane = bad
Hey 'sask. farmer', you're absolutely right about methane. Now that CO2 has started the warming, it's warming what was once permafrost and the thawing is releasing damaging amounts of methane gas. As for it's effect on thought processes, well you would know better being on a 'farm' so close to those cow pies.

More Inconvenient Truths
The global warming gravy train ran out of evidence.Global temperatures are NOT rising. (since 2001)The predicted "hot spot" never occurred.There is an 800 year lag between global temperatures rising, then followed by CO2 levels rising.Something affects the global climate more than CO2 and none of the computer models know what it is.Non-believers of AGW (man made global warming through increased CO2 in the atmosphere), don't have to "prove" anything. Skeptics are not asking the world for trillions of dollars or power over others.

Brett in Alberta
@ Jon in London Wow you are just wrong today. Your Economics is wrong in regards to the Cap and Trade system. And your Chemistry is Wrong in regards to CO2. I don't have the time and energy to argue this through as I am studying for my finals but please buy some university level Chem and Economics books.

AH
"Queen urges Commonwealth leaders to fight climate change"The same queen that's the mother of the guy that wishes he could reduce the population of the earth to 2 billion people?Right.

AH
@JB in CalgaryTwo concepts for you: 1. Spectral Saturation, 2. No tropospheric hotspot.Research those and be enlightened. Sorry, but highschool chemistry won't pass the grade. If you believers would quit using it, well, then you'll make some progress.

pdm
It saddens me to read comments like those posted We live in a society where factories and cars are the norm. Pollutants are harming the environment period. The rainforest (having seen it) is being destoyed, the ice shelves are melting and breaking off, animal species are dying - come on people some of this is our doing because we emit pollution that causes global warming You cannot simply dismiss it because your North America lifestyle might be impacted slightly. I am not a huge environmentalist either - we separate paper and cans and don't have a car but that's about it

JB in Calgary
@ AH I am in my last year of my Chemistry degree, with a focus in environmental chemistry, with only electives left. I think that meets your requirements, but I'm not sure what do you think?

Jon in London ON
@ JB in Calgary:The models make brutal estimates and many assumptions. (guesses). "Lab-Warming" doesn't necessarily translate to "planet-warming": test tubes don't have ocean currents, clouds, or rain. The "clouds and humidity" factor is bogglingly complex. For example, high clouds tend to warm the planet but at the same time, low clouds tend to cool it. So which effect rules? Models don't know, so they "assume" clouds are net warming.This is not a minor point, the feedback from clouds and humidity accounts for more than half of carbon's alleged 'effect'. The "real world" trumps the laboratory every time.

EmB
First of all climate change is real, and it's a big issue. You can't deny that the ice caps are MELTING, our world is becoming flooded, literally. Face the facts people, we need to do something! This is important, this is our planet, how can we expect humans to be around for a long time when we're so apathetic about the world we live in. Harper is just making it worse, wake up people, we need to change. Now.

jay, ottawa
Kitty Sui Vancouver said "Gee I thought the green machine told us 4 yrs ago we had to act now or it would be too late the world would be flooded mass starvation etc did that happen?" >>They said it would happen much later in time. However, observations are showing this is happening faster than ever projected. I was speaking with someone who lives in Nunavut. He was telling me that ice is melting and rock beds are being exposed that no one alive in his family has ever seen before. It was interesting to hear a first hand experience of climate change from people in the north who are experiencing it more obviously than we are further south. As for the flooding part, many municipal drainage systems are suddenly unable to keep up. I don't know that's tied to climate change, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Okotokian
For centuries there has been an approximate eleven year cycle in the minimum to maximum appearance of solar storms called 'Sun Spots'. At this time in 2009 the expected maximum activity has failed to appear. Among other things, this absence of Sun Spots has had a very negative impact on High Frequency Radio transmissions across the world.It is interesting to note that from 1645 to 1715 there was a similar absence of solar activity, observed as the absence of Sun Spots over that period of time. It was called "The Maunder Minimum', and co-incided with what is known as "The Little Ice Age" in Europe and elsewhere.There is evidence of similar co-relationship between solar activity and lower than normal temperatures in the centuries previous to the Maunder Minimum of the 17th Century.The research on the relationship between Solar activity and Climate change is on-going. But the possibility exists that the Earth is about to enter another "Little Ice Age" due to the changes in Solar radiation activity.

jay, ottawa
Jack, Hamilton said "How is Canada gonna meet any kind of emissions target if we keep increasing our population artificially thru mass immigration? " >> This is a crazy comment. We only have one planet. Whether an individual is consuming energy within one political boundry or another is inconsequential. They're still consuming energy.

John
Rednecks, eom.

Jon in London ON
@ Brett in Alberta;I think you're wise in studying rather than lose an argument.Good luck on the finals bud!

Jon in London ON
@EmB;Of course the Earth's climate changes...the issue is that man made CO2 is NOT the cause.This would be evidence of AGW CO2 being the major cause:1. If temperatures followed CO2 levels in the past. (they didn't)2. If the atmosphere showed the characteristic heating pattern of greenhouse warming. (it doesn't)This is NOT evidence: Arctic ice disappearing. Glaciers retreating. Coral reef bleaching. Kilimanjaro losing snow. Madagascan lemurs doing anything. Four polar bears caught in a storm. Bird/tree/moth facing extinction. Change in cyclones/hurricanes/typhoons. Droughts. Dry rivers. Computer models. There is no "better" explanation. Some guy with a PhD is "sure". 2500 scientists mostly agree. A government committee wrote a long report. Government spending on "Emissions Trading Plans" tops $100 million. Ginger Spice signing a skeptics petition. A failed theologian, ex-politician made a documentary.

JB in Calgary
@ Jon in London. Where do you get your information from? Do you honestly believe that every scientist only does work in a laboratory? We had a guest lecturer yesterday who just finished two years of research in the Arctic. So much research now is based on following the trends and mapping what the causes are. And all of the trends are going UP and they all originate from us. Please get this notion of some Science Geek working in a basement laboratory who never sees the light of day out of your head. This conversation is pointless you don't have any facts, to me it seems like you are getting all of your information off of wikipedia.

Jim McB
The Queen always says what her Socialist Prime Minister and his cronies write for her. They need support because they knee jerked and are caught in the vortex of nations being dragged under by carbon trading scams.These guys need to do something in a real hurry becase within the next month there whole fictitious scare dream world is about to tumble down. They lied, they got caught, and they are going to have to face the public. I can't wait.PM please say thanks but no thanks to these people.